Hand held screed raking device for applying paving material to a surface

ABSTRACT

A hand held screed raking device having a longitudinally extending screed head, arced dozer front face, screed back, and tubular rake handle or rake grip handle. An underside shoe secures against the longitudinally extending screed head, connecting to a longitudinal bottom trailing surface, having a smooth, or textured bottom surface with repetitive or variable form and different forms of textured bottom surfaces. The textured bottom surface may dampen in amplitude, and be oriented with respect to application material applying direction. The user dozes pushing or pulling the device over a surface, loading application material along the arced dozer front face applying it on the surface.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This patent disclosure relates to a hand held screed raking device, orscreed rake, for applying material to a surface.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Hand tools having variated working surfaces for shaping and spreadingconcrete, glue, or other viscous materials are common in the industry.However, there has been a recognized need, such as in the road pavingindustry, for providing screed plates with differing textures to theunderside screed or working surface. These application, viscous,materials include various substances, such as grout for tiling, asphaltfor a road surface, or landscaping material for a lawn. A need has beenrecognized in the industry for hand tools, such as a rake or troweldevice that could lay material on a smoother grade without segregatingit into constituent sizes, in a comfortable and an easy to operatedesign.

Additionally, it has been recognized that a variable or repetitive,wave-like pattern or other textured pattern or form to the underside,working surface, to the rake device is needed for varying applicationtechniques and types of material to be applied to a surface. The closesttechnology found would be a typical asphalt rake/lute, or a landscapingrake, both of which lacking the ability to lay a significant amount ofvaried, viscous material in a homogeneous, non-segregated manner.

In the asphalt paving industry, the current standard in asphalt rakesare those made of aluminum or a combination of aluminum and magnesium.Because these metals have a high thermal conductivity, the rakes coolrapidly while raking the hot asphalt making the asphalt stick easier tothe rake and the application of such material to a surface verydifficult. A need for a device with a lower thermal conductivity isrecognized for use with such material. As well, a need for a lessconductive handle to such a device is desirable since the rake or troweldevice is hand held when used.

The references described in the related art do not disclose features ofthe present invention and would not be as suitable for the requiredpurpose of the present invention hereinafter described. Hand-held rakedevices for spreading or applying materials are found in the relatedart, exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. D621,236 to Bahler et al.(collectively, “Bahler”), U.S. Pat. No. 7,281,878 to Schulz (“Schulz”),and U.S. Pat. No. 3,119,138 to Davis (“Davis”). Bahler discloses a dozershaped screed design that is convex shaped face for applying material,facing forward from a user, and comprises four separate planar surfacesextending longitudinal, from end to end. Although Bahler discloses aface having a “dozer type” configuration formed by four distinctlyangled surfaces, it does not disclose or teach the bottom portion,underside shoe or other elements of the present invention.

None of the references found today show hand tools having a workingsurface or underside shoe that is wave shaped or textured in crosssection, having the height or amplitude of the working surface,underside shoe or trailing surface, and/or decreasing in size for theleading edge of the device to the trailing edge. Davis discloses aworking surface that is uniform in size and shape, including a wave-likepattern; however, the shape. configuration of the “wave” in crosssection, as well as the manner of operation, is dissimilar from thepresent invention. As well, the height or amplitude of the form in theprior art does not decrease in size from a leading edge to a trailingedge on the underside surface.

None of the prior art references found render the present inventionobvious. The concave configuration or dozer arced face of the presentinvention comprising the front face, the textured or variable waveconfiguration provided on the bottom surface and the underside shoe areneither disclosed or suggest by the prior art. Although Schulz disclosesusing random spacing and depth of repeating v-shaped grooves, thisreference does not suggest, teach or support modifying Davis or anyother reference in a manner that would suggest a cresting wave patternor other texture profile that decreases in depth or height (amplitude)for a leading edge to a trailing edge, or would otherwise function inthe manner of the present invention.

None of the references in the prior art contain every feature of thepresent invention, and none of these references in combination disclose,suggest or teach every feature of the present invention. The presentinvention is neither disclosed nor suggested by the prior art.

The foregoing and other objectives, advantages, aspects, and features ofthe present invention will be more fully understood and appreciated bythose skilled in the art upon consideration of the detailed descriptionof a preferred embodiment, presented below in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a hand held screed raking device whichcomprises a longitudinally extending screed head, the longitudinallyextending screen includes an arced dozer front face, a screed back, andan angularly attached bottom plate. The arced dozer front face may aconcavely arced face or a convexly arced face. The arced dozer frontface acutely and downwardly connects to the angular bottom plate at anarc/bottom contact point, terminating at a screed head cooperating toesecuring end, and oppositely and upwardly connects to the screed back atan arc/back contact point. The arced dozer front face, the screed back,and the angular bottom plate form a generally triangular cross sectionalshape to the longitudinally extending screed head.

In alternative embodiments of the present invention, an underside shoeconformably, cooperatively secures against the angular bottom plate andcomprises an upwardly angled leading surface, a shoe back end and anopposing shoe toe securing end. The underside shoe connects with, andabuts against, the arced dozer front face and arcs downward andrearward, connecting to a longitudinal bottom trailing surface. Thelongitudinal bottom trailing surface continues rearward laterally andterminates at the shoe back end and is defined as the entire bottomworking surface of the underside shoe.

The handle held screed device further comprises a tubular rake handlewhich freely and securely attaches to and engages the longitudinallyextending screed head by a rake handle attaching means. An upper headportion comprises an upper back panhandle, adjoining the screed back andthe arced dozer front face and in n an alternative embodiment, an upperback slot is located at the opposing panhandle end and securelyaccommodates a removably protruding wear protective surface strip.

The underside shoe freely, securely and removably attaches against theangular bottom plate by an at least one shoe attaching means, allowingthe underside shoe to be removable. In another alternative embodiment, ascreed head cooperating heel securing notch may be located immediatelyand vertically above a shoe back end, removably and securely houses aremovable shoe heel wear protective surface strip.

The longitudinal bottom trailing surface of alternative embodiments ofthe comprises one of a smooth bottom surface or a textured bottomsurface. The textured bottom surface comprises at least one of: arepetitive form, a variable form; the textured bottom surface may be anyone of a wave form bottom surface; a v-shaped bottom surface; a blockshaped bottom surface; or other form of textured bottom surface; andmay, flattens and dampens in amplitude or wave height and is oriented inthe applying direction conducted by a user. In alternative embodiments,the textured bottom surface may be oriented with respect to the applyingdirection of the user as to its primary wave or form orientation in oneof parallel, perpendicular, or at an acute angle direction.

The user is spreading, screeding, moving or applying (generally termed,“moving” or “applying” herein) and dozing the application material bygrasping and using the hand held screed raking device by the tubularrake handle and pushing or pulling the hand held screed device over asurface. The application material gathers and loads along the arceddozer front face. The arced dozer front face keeps the longitudinallyextending screed head from lifting upward as the hand held screed rakingdevice simultaneously and homogeneously applies, screeds, and compactsthe application material onto the surface in an applying direction astraversed by the user. The application material applied to the surfaceand may be glue laminates, asphalt, cement, tile and floor grout,mortar, landscaping topsoil, gravel, aggregate, mulch, dirt, or othersurface treatment material.

The textured bottom surface enables larger aggregates of applicationmaterial to be moved or travel more easily underneath the hand heldscreed raking device and intermix in a homogeneous manner to discourageany segregation of particle size of the application material on thesurface. The tubular rake handle, as well as the rake grip handle, in analternative embodiment, are formed from material which is less thermallyconductive or non-conductive than in prior art.

In an alternative embodiments of the present invention, the hand heldscreed raking device comprises a longitudinally extending screed headhaving a convexly arced dozer front face, a screed back, and alongitudinal bottom trailing surface. The convexly arced dozer frontface acutely connects to and terminates downwardly at the longitudinalbottom trailing surface at an arc/bottom contact point and oppositelyand acutely upwardly connects to the screed back at an arc/back contactpoint. The longitudinal bottom trailing surface oppositely and acutelyconnects to the screed back at a back/bottom contact point. In thisconfiguration thereby, the convexly arced dozer front face arcs downwardto the arc/bottom contact point. The rake grip handle attaches to thelongitudinally extending screed head midway vertically down andcentrally on the screed back, and the user grasps the hand held screedraking device by the rake grip handle to hand doze application materialwhich gathers and loads along the arced dozer front face, and the handheld screed raking device simultaneously and homogeneously applying,screeding, and compacting the application material onto a surface in anon-segregating manner and in an applying direction as traversed by theuser.

The hand held screed raking device is a hand held tool for spreading,screeding, moving or applying application material, including viscousmaterial such as asphalt, concrete, grout, glue, or landscape materialssuch as dirt; utilizing either the smooth bottom surface, the group oftextured bottom surface forms or other textured bottom surface forms, tohelp discourage application material segregation when the user moves andapplies the application material to the surface.

The longitudinal bottom trailing surface is operated similar to any handheld rake or trowel with the added control in the present invention ofpitching the screed surface angle of attack, defined by the upwardlyangled leading surface, to control application material grade during usein the applying direction. The arced dozer front face more evenlydistributes the application material being laid or spread out by theuser in the applying direction while leaving a better, less segregatedapplication material on the surface, by allowing the “floating screed”,the application material, to be controlled by pitching the angle ofattack of the longitudinal bottom trailing surface. By adjusting thevertical angle of attack, the user can make smooth grade adjustmentswhile spreading, in the applying direction, the application materialbeing raked or applied. As the application material travels in theapplying direction under the longitudinal bottom trailing surface, it iscompacted, leaving a better finish on the surface without thesegregation of portions of the application material. By using a uniquevariable wave design, such as a wave form bottom surface, theapplication material, such as aggregate, may be evenly spread andcompacted on the surface in a homogenous fashion, and allows largeraggregates to move more easily under the longitudinally attached bottomtrailing surface, further discouraging segregation by compacting thelarger aggregate being laid into the surface.

In alternative embodiments of the present invention, the longitudinallyextending screed head may be comprised of one or more of the following:aluminum, plastic, or other durable and lightweight material preventinghotter application material from sticking to the hand held screed rakingdevice as easily as with commonly known screed raking devices, andpreventing wetter application material from freezing and sticking.

Another advantage is the ease of use allowing different handle pitchoptions for taller users with the hand held screed raking device. Use ofthe hand held screed raking device is not limited to or specific to anyone industry, and may be used in the paving industry, concrete industry,construction industry, landscaping industry, as well as other industrieswhere the use of such hand held equipment for applying applicationmaterial is required, allowing a user to more easily obtain anacceptable grade of application material without the segregationproblems that are inherent to current rakes found in differentindustries, and spread a multitude of application materials, including,but not limited to, aggregates and aggregate mixtures, soils,landscaping materials; and in a number of applications, such as fordistributing glue or grout, patching asphalt, for preparing subgradesurfaces, and for tiling or finishing surfaces, and other surfaceapplication activities.

The aforementioned features, objectives, aspects and advantages of thepresent invention, and further objectives and advantages of theinvention, will become apparent from a consideration of the drawings andensuing description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing features and other aspects of the present invention areexplained and other features and objects of the present invention willbecome apparent in the following detailed descriptions, taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the drawings areprovided for purposes of illustration only, and are not intended as adefinition of the limits of the invention.

FIG. 1 illustrates an elevated side, cross sectional and partial view ofone embodiment of the present invention, for Cross Section 1-1,depicting the longitudinally extending screed head having a hollowinterior and a underside shoe. The rake handle is partially shown. CrossSection 1-1 is located on FIG. 3. As well, FIG. 1 provides the locationfor Detail C, depicted in the following cutaway view of FIG. 1A:

FIG. 1A illustrates Detail C, an elevated side blow-up and cutaway viewof an at least one shoe attaching means, depicting the followingelements: at least one threaded tapped bottom hole, at least one shoehole, and at least one attaching bolt for securing the underside shoe.

FIG. 2 illustrates an elevated side, cross sectional and partial view ofone embodiment of the present invention, for Cross Section 2-2,depicting the longitudinally extending screed head without a hollowinterior. The rake handle is partially shown. Cross Section 2-2 islocated on FIG. 4. and is the same sectional (perpendicular) orientationas that of Cross Section 1-1.

FIG. 3 illustrates a partial perspective view of one embodiment of thepresent invention, depicting the longitudinally extending screed headand a partial view of the rake handle. The location of Cross Section 1-1is depicted in FIG. 3.

FIG. 4 illustrates a partial back perspective view of one embodiment ofthe present invention, depicting the longitudinally extending screedhead and a partial view of the rake handle. The location of CrossSection 2-2 is depicted in FIG. 4.

FIG. 5 illustrates a side elevational view of one embodiment of thepresent invention, having an underside shoe.

FIG. 6 illustrates a back elevational view of one embodiment of thepresent invention, having an underside shoe and depicting the rakehandle attached to the longitudinally extending screed head element.

FIG. 7 illustrates a front perspective view of one embodiment of thepresent invention, having an underside shoe.

FIG. 8 illustrates a partial, back and underside perspective view of oneembodiment of the present invention, depicting the underside shoe havinga textured bottom surface, as a repetitive form, dampening andflattening in amplitude toward the shoe back end. The depiction of therepetitive triangular shapes on the shoe underside in FIG. 8 and thesame depictions of the repetitive form in other accompanying figures areshown to depict a repetitive form for particular textured bottomsurfaces. The rake handle is partially shown.

As shown in FIG. 8, and FIGS. 9A and 15A below, the tapered triangularshapes, tapered toward the shoe back end depict the dampening orflattening of the particular textured bottom surface, such as the waveform bottom surface in FIG. 8.

FIGS. 9A-D illustrate partial, front elevational views of alternativeembodiments of the present invention, depicting, among other elements,the underside shoe, as follows:

FIG. 9A illustrates the underside shoe having a textured bottom surface,as a wave form bottom surface, in a repetitive form, dampening towardthe shoe back end. The rake handle is partially shown.

FIG. 9B illustrates the underside shoe having a textured bottom surface,as a wave form bottom surface, in a repetitive form, without dampening.The rake handle is partially shown.

FIG. 9C illustrates the underside shoe having a textured bottom surface,as a block shaped bottom surface without dampening. The rake handle ispartially shown.

FIG. 9D illustrates the underside shoe having a textured bottom surface,as a v-shaped bottom surface without dampening. The rake handle ispartially shown.

FIG. 10 illustrates a partial back perspective view of one embodiment ofthe present invention, partially depicting the longitudinally extendingscreed head without an underside shoe and one of a pair of opposingscreed end caps. The rake handle is partially shown.

FIG. 11 illustrates a perspective view of one embodiment of the presentinvention, depicting a user moving the hand held screed raking device bythe tubular rake handle and dozing application material over a surface.

FIG. 12 illustrates a perspective view of an alternative embodiment ofthe present invention, depicting a rake grip handle attaching to thelongitudinally extending screed head, and a textured bottom surface.

FIG. 13 illustrates a perspective view of an alternative embodiment ofthe present invention, depicting a rake opened grip handle attaching tothe longitudinally extending screed head, having a textured bottomsurface, and a user moving the hand held screed raking device and dozingapplication material over a surface.

FIG. 14 illustrates a perspective view of one embodiment of the presentinvention, depicting the hand held screed raking device being pulledover a surface, instead of pushed, while dozing application material,the rake handle (partially viewed) attaching to the arced dozer frontface.

FIGS. 15A-D illustrate partial, back and underside perspective views ofembodiments of the present invention, as follows:

FIG. 15A depicts the underside shoe having a textured bottom surface asa wave form bottom surface, having a repetitive form, the texturedbottom surface flattening and dampening in amplitude from the opposingshoe toe securing end to the shoe back end. The rake handle is partiallyshown, and the textured bottom surface is oriented parallel to theapplying direction of the user.

FIG. 15B depicts the underside shoe having a smooth bottom surface. Therake handle is partially shown.

FIG. 15C depicts the underside shoe having a textured bottom surface, asa wave form bottom surface, having a variable form, the textured bottomsurface flattening and dampening in amplitude from the opposing shoe toesecuring end to the shoe back end, in the manner as was described byFIG. 8 above. The depiction of the varying triangular shapes on the shoeunderside in FIG. 15C is shown to depict the variable wave form for theparticular textured bottom surface. The rake handle is partially shown,and the textured bottom surface is oriented parallel to the applyingdirection of the user.

FIG. 15D depicts the underside shoe having a textured bottom surface,having a repetitive form, the textured bottom surface orientedperpendicular to the to the applying direction of the user, andlongitudinally lengthwise with the longitudinally extending screed head.The rake handle is partially shown.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter withreferences to the accompanying drawings, in which the preferredembodiment of the invention is shown. This invention, however, may beembodied in different forms, and should not be construed as limited tothe embodiments set forth herein. Rather, the illustrative embodimentsare provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, andwill fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in theart. It should be noted, and will be appreciated, that numerousvariations may be made within the scope of this invention withoutdeparting from the principle of this invention and without sacrificingits chief advantages. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout. Arepresentative number of certain repeated elements are labeled in thedrawings.

Turning now in detail to the drawings in accordance with the presentinvention, as shown in FIGS. 1-11, in one embodiment of the presentinvention, a hand held screed raking device 100 comprises alongitudinally extending screed head 101. As shown in cross sectionalFIGS. 1 (1-1 as located on FIGS. 3) and 2 (2-2 as located on FIG. 4),the longitudinally extending screen includes an upper head portion 101a, an arced dozer front face 102, a screed back 108, an angularlyattached bottom plate 115, and a pair of opposing screed head ends 123(see FIGS. 3 and 9). The arced dozer front face 102 may be, inalternative embodiments, a concavely arced face 140 (FIGS. 1, 2 and 10)or a convexly arced face 141 (FIGS. 12 and 13, alternative embodimentsof the present invention). The arced dozer front face 102 acutely anddownwardly connects to the angular bottom plate 115 at an arc/bottomcontact point 117, terminating at a screed head cooperating toe securingend 106 d, and oppositely and upwardly connects to the screed back 108at an arc/back contact point 111. The upper head portion 101 a islocated above, and attaches to, the arced dozer front face 102 and thescreed back 108 at the arc/back contact point 111. The angular bottomplate 115 acutely connects oppositely from the arc/back contact point111 to the screed back 108 at a back/bottom contact point 107, and inthat manner, thereby the arced dozer front face 102, the screed back108, and the angular bottom plate 115 form a generally triangular crosssectional shape 116 to the longitudinally extending screed head 101. Thelongitudinally extending screed head 101 may further be comprised ofaluminum, plastic, or other durable and lightweight material.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in alternative embodiments of the presentinvention, an underside shoe 103 conformably and cooperatively securesagainst the angular bottom plate 115 of the longitudinally extendingscreed head 101. The underside shoe 103 comprises an upwardly angledleading surface 104, a shoe back end 104 b and an opposing shoe toesecuring end 106 b. The underside shoe 103 connects with, and abutsagainst, the arced dozer front face 102 with the opposing shoe toesecuring end 106 b against the screed head cooperating toe securing end106 d, and arcs downward and rearward, connecting to a longitudinalbottom trailing surface 105. The longitudinal bottom trailing surface105 continues rearward laterally and terminates at the shoe back end 104b. In the present invention, the longitudinal bottom trailing surface105 is defined as the entire bottom working surface of the undersideshoe 103, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

As shown particularly in FIGS. 1, 2 and 11, as well as FIGS. 3-8, inembodiments of the present invention, the handle held screed device 100further comprises a tubular rake handle 120. The tubular rake handle 120has a rake handle free end 120 a and an opposing rake handle attachingend 120 b attaching to the longitudinally extending screed head 101. Thelongitudinally extending screed head 101 further comprises a rake handleattaching means 110 locating centrally on the screed back 108 midwaybetween the arc/back contact point 111 and the back/bottom contact point107 and freely securing the tubular rake handle 120. The tubular rakehandle 120 freely and securely attaches to and engages thelongitudinally extending screed head 101 by the rake handle attachingmeans 110 which is proximal to the opposing rake handle attaching end120 b.

The upper head portion 101 a depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2 of an embodimentof the present invention further comprises an upper back panhandle 112,adjoining the screed back 108 and the arced dozer front face 102 at thearc/back contact point 111. The upper head portion 101 a terminates atan opposing panhandle end 118. In an alternative embodiment, an upperback slot 113 is located at the opposing panhandle end 118 and securelyaccommodates a removably protruding wear protective surface strip 109.The removably protruding wear protective surface strip 109 may be madeof one of plastic, metal carbide, magnesium, titanium, or otherlightweight and wear resistant material.

The rake handle attaching means 110, depicted in FIGS. 1-8, inembodiments of the present invention, comprises a tubular attaching arm110 k extending perpendicularly away from the screed back 108. Thetubular rake handle 120 sliding snugly and freely fits over the tubularattaching arm 110 k and against the screed back 108 at the opposing rakehandle attaching end 120 b, as first described above. At least onehandle securing hole 110 h operatively projects simultaneously throughthe tubular rake handle 120 and the tubular attaching arm 110 k. The atleast one handle securing hole 110 h allows an at least one handlesecuring bolt 110 i to secure the tubular rake handle 120 to the tubularattaching arm 110 k with at least one handle securing nut 110 j. Asshown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the rake handle attaching means 110 may beviewed as a simple piece of “inner pipe” that welds to and/or isintegrally part of, the screed back 108. The rake handle 120 simplyslips over the rake handle attaching means 110, or the inner pipe, andhas two cross bolts (the at least one handle securing bolt 110 and theat least one handle securing nut 110 j) to hold the tubular rake handle120 in place. In this embodiment, the hand held screed raking device 100of FIGS. 1-11 is a hand held utility tool with a unique screed bottomand pre-strike design.

In alternative embodiments, the rake handle attaching means 110,depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2, may be a cotter pin, clip, weld or othertemporary or permanent attaching means; and the tubular rake handle 120may comprise non-conductive, lightweight, and resilient material.

The underside shoe 103, shown in FIG. 1 of one embodiment of the presentinvention, freely, securely and removably attaches against the angularbottom plate 115 by an at least one shoe attaching means 103 a, asdescribed below. The at least one shoe attaching means 103 a allows theunderside shoe 103 to be removable. In another alternative embodiment, ascreed head cooperating heel securing notch 106 c may be locatedimmediately and vertically above the shoe back end 104 b. The screedhead cooperating heel securing notch 106 c removably and securely housesa removable shoe heel wear protective surface strip 106 a. The shoe heelwear protective surface strip 106 a in alternative embodiments may bemade of plastic, metal carbide, magnesium, titanium, or otherlightweight and wear resistant material.

The longitudinal bottom trailing surface 105, shown in FIGS. 1-15 ofalternative embodiments of the present invention, or the working surfacereferenced above, comprises one of a smooth bottom surface 125 (seeFIGS. 2 and 15B) or a textured bottom surface 126 (see FIGS. 8, 9A-D,13, and 15A, 15C and 15D). The longitudinally extending screed head 101further comprises, as depicted in the embodiment in FIG. 1, an interiorflange support 121 located centrally within a hollow interior 114attached from the arc/bottom contact point 117 midway along the screedback 108.

The textured bottom surface 126, as depicted in FIGS. 8, 9A-D, 13, and15A, 15C and 15D, comprises at least one of: a repetitive form 126 d,the form of the textured bottom surface 126 repeating on thelongitudinal bottom surface 105 (see FIGS. 8 and 9A-D); a variable form126 e, the textured bottom surface 126 having differing forms andamplitudes (see FIG. 15C), such that the textured bottom surface 126 maybe any one of a wave form bottom surface 124 (shown in FIGS. 3 and 8); av-shaped bottom surface (shown in FIG. 9D); a block shaped bottomsurface 126 b (shown in FIG. 9C); or other form of textured bottomsurface 126; or combination of those forms. The textured bottom surface126 flattens and dampens in amplitude or wave height from the opposingshoe toe securing end 106 b to the shoe back end 104 b, and is oriented(its shape runs) in the applying direction 127 conducted by a user 130,or rake operator, as shown in FIGS. 8, 9A, 11 and 13. In alternativeembodiments, shown in FIGS. 15A, C and D, the textured bottom surface126 may be oriented with respect to the applying direction 127 of theuser 130 as to its primary wave or form orientation in one of parallel,perpendicular, or at an acute angle direction (such as depicted in FIGS.15 A, C and D).

In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG.10, a pair of opposing end caps 122 securely attach to the pair ofopposing screed head ends 123. The pair of opposing end caps 122 may betemporarily or permanently welded or otherwise secured on each of thepair of opposing screed head ends 123 and thereby provide a sealed rakehead as the longitudinally extending screed head 101.

In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, the at least oneshoe attaching means 103 a, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 1A (Detail C),comprises an at least one attaching bolt 103 d threading upwardlythrough an at least one shoe hole 103 c located in the longitudinalbottom trailing surface 105 and into an at least one threaded tappedbottom hole 103 b which is located in the angular bottom plate 115 andcooperatively corresponds with the at least one shoe hole 103 c. In thismanner, thereby, the at least one shoe attaching means 103 a secures andattaches the underside shoe 103 to the longitudinally extending screedhead 101. The at least one shoe attaching means 103 a may in alternativeembodiments comprise clips, cotter pins or other attaching means.

As shown in FIGS. 11 and 13, in embodiments of the present invention,the user 130 is spreading, screeding, moving or applying (generallytermed, “moving” or “applying” herein) and dozing the applicationmaterial 128 by grasping and using the hand held screed raking device100 by the tubular rake handle 120 and pushing or pulling (moving) thehand held screed device 100 over a surface 129. In FIG. 11, the user 130is pushing the hand held screed raking device 100 using the tubular rakehandle 120. The application material 128 gathers and loads along thearced dozer front face 102. The arced dozer front face 102 keeps thelongitudinally extending screed head 101 from lifting upward as the handheld screed raking device 100 simultaneously and homogeneously applies,screeds, and compacts the application material 128 onto the surface 129in an applying direction 127 as traversed by the user 130. Theapplication material 128 is the material being applied to the surface129 and may be selected from a group consisting of: glue laminates,asphalt, cement, tile and floor grout, mortar, landscaping topsoil,gravel, aggregate, mulch, dirt, or other surface treatment material 133.

As shown in FIG. 14, in an alternative embodiment of the presentinvention, the hand held screed raking device 100, the longitudinallyextending screed head 101 comprises an upper head portion 101 a, anarced dozer front face 102, a screed back 108, an angularly attachedbottom plate 115, and a pair of opposing screed head ends 123 (all ofwhich elements are as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2). The arced dozer frontface 102 has either a concavely arced face 140 or a convexly arced face141 (see also FIG. 12). The arced dozer front face 102 connects acutelyand downwardly to the angular bottom plate 115 at an arc/bottom contactpoint 117, terminating at a screed head cooperating toe securing end 106d, and oppositely and acutely, upwardly connecting to the screed back108 at the arc/back contact point 117 (all of which elements are asshown in FIGS. 1 and 2). The upper head portion 101 a is located aboveand attaches to the arced dozer front face 102 and the screed back 108at an arc/back contact point 111. The angular bottom plate 115 connectsacutely and oppositely from the arc/back contact point 111 to the screedback 108 at a back/bottom contact point 107. In this manner, the arceddozer front face 102, the screed back 108, and the angular bottom plate115 form a generally triangular cross sectional shape 116 to thelongitudinally extending screed head 101. The hand held screed rakingdevice 100 in this alternative embodiment (as shown as well in detail inFIG. 1) also has an underside shoe 103 is comprised of an upwardlyangled leading surface 104, a shoe back end 104 b and an opposing shoetoe securing end 106 b. The underside shoe 103 connects with and abutsagainst the arced dozer front face 102 at the screed head cooperatingtoe securing end 106 d with the opposing shoe toe securing end 106 bsecuring, conformably and cooperatively securing against the angularbottom plate 115, and arcing downward and rearward, connecting to alongitudinal bottom trailing surface 105. The longitudinal bottomtrailing surface 105 continues rearward laterally and terminating at theshoe back end 104 b. A tubular rake handle 120 has a rake handle freeend 120 a and an opposing rake handle attaching end 120 b (as shown indetail in FIGS. 5-7).

Again, as shown on FIGS. 1 and 2, as well as 14, the longitudinallyextending screed head 101 in this alternative embodiment has a rakehandle attaching means 110 located centrally on the arced dozer frontface 102 midway between the arc/back contact point 111 and thearc/bottom contact point 117, freely securing the tubular rake handle120. The tubular rake handle 120 freely and securely attaches to andengages the longitudinally extending screed head 101 by the rake handleattaching means 110 proximal to the opposing rake handle attaching end120 b.

In this alternative embodiment of the present invention, shown in FIG.14, the user 130 (as similarly shown in FIG. 11) grasps the tubular rakehandle 120 and spreads, screeds, moves or applies and dozes theapplication material 128, by grasping the hand held screed raking device100 by the tubular rake handle 120 and pulling (moving) the hand heldscreed raking device 100 over a surface 129 in the applying direction127. The application material 128 gathers and loads along the arceddozer front face 103, and the arced dozer front face 103 prevents thelongitudinally extending screed head 101 from lifting upward as the handheld screed raking device 100 simultaneously and homogeneously applies,screeds, and compacts the application material 128 onto the surface 129in a non-segregating manner and in an applying direction 127 astraversed by the user 130 over the surface 129.

The rake handle attaching means 110, in the alternative embodiment shownin FIG. 14, comprises a tubular attaching arm 110 k (as shown in FIG. 1)extending in this embodiment perpendicularly away from the arced dozerfront face 102, as shown in FIG. 14. The tubular rake handle 120 slidessnugly and freely over the tubular attaching arm 110 k and attachessecurely against the arced dozer front face 102 at the opposing rakehandle attaching end 120 b (in the manner as shown in FIG. 1). At leastone handle securing hole 110 h operatively projects simultaneouslythrough the tubular rake handle 120 and the tubular attaching arm 110 k,allowing at least one handle securing bolt 110 i to secure the tubularrake handle 120 to the tubular attaching arm 110 k with the at least onehandle securing nut 110 j.

As more particularly depicted in FIGS. 1 and 1A in an alternativeembodiment of the present invention, the hand held screed raking device100 depicted in FIG. 14 has the underside shoe 103 freely, securely, andremovably attaching against the angular bottom plate 116 of thelongitudinally extending screed head 101 by an at least one shoeattaching means 103 a having an at least one attaching bolt 103 dthreading upwardly through an at least one shoe hole 103 c located inthe longitudinal bottom trailing surface 105 and into an at least onethreaded tapped bottom hole 103 b located in the angular bottom plate115 and cooperatively corresponding with the at least one shoe hole 103c. The underside shoe 103 is secured and attached, in this manner, tothe longitudinally extending screed head 101.

As noted above, FIGS. 15A-D illustrate partial, back and undersideperspective views of embodiments of the present invention, having atubular rake handle 120. The longitudinal bottom trailing surface 105can be either a smooth bottom surface 125 or a textured bottom surface126. The textured bottom surface 126 of the underside shoe 103comprises, in alternative embodiments as shown in FIGS. 15A, 15C and15D, a wave form bottom surface 124 (shown in FIGS. 3 and 8); a v-shapedbottom surface (shown in FIG. 9D); a block shaped bottom surface 126 b(shown in FIG. 9C); or other form of textured bottom surface 126, whichforms may be in a repetitive form 126 d or a variable form 126 e. Thetextured bottom surface 126 may, in an alternative embodiment, flattenand dampen in amplitude from the opposing shoe toe securing end 106 b tothe shoe back end 104 b, as depicted in FIGS. 8 and 15A. At the sametime, the textured bottom surface 126 in alternative embodiments, may beoriented in parallel, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 15A, perpendicular asshown in FIG. 15D, or at an acute angle to the applying direction 127 ofthe user 130 of the hand held screed raking device 100. FIG. 15A depictsthe underside shoe 103 having a textured bottom surface 126, as arepetitive form 124 d, the textured bottom surface 126 flattening anddampening in amplitude from the opposing shoe toe securing end 106 b tothe shoe back end 104 b. FIG. 15B depicts the underside shoe 103 havinga smooth bottom surface 125. FIG. 15C depicts the underside shoe 103having a textured bottom surface 126, as a variable form 124 e, the waveform bottom surface 124 having varying amplitudes (as indicated by thedescription of FIG. 8 above), and the textured bottom surface 126flattening and dampening in amplitude from the opposing shoe toesecuring end 106 b to the shoe back end 104 b. FIG. 15D depicts theunderside shoe 103 having a textured bottom surface 126, as a repetitiveform 124 d, and the textured bottom surface 126 oriented longitudinallylengthwise, parallel with the longitudinally extending screed head 101,and perpendicular to the applying direction 127.

The textured bottom surface 126, shown in FIGS. 3, 8, 12, 13, and 15A, Cand D, enables larger aggregates of application material 128 to be movedor travel more easily underneath the hand held screed raking device 100and intermix in a homogeneous manner to discourage any segregation ofparticle size of the application material 128 on the surface 129.

In alternative embodiments of the present invention, the tubular rakehandle shown in FIGS. 1-11 and 14 may comprise non-conductive,lightweight, and resilient material. The tubular rake handle 120, aswell as a rake grip handle 131, described below in an alternativeembodiment, are formed from material which is less thermally conductiveor non-conductive than in prior art. The rake grip handle 131 includesany number of handle grips attached at two points in the screed back 108common in the industry for use with trowel-like tools.

In an alternative embodiments of the present invention, shown in FIGS.12 and 13, the hand held screed raking device 100 comprises alongitudinally extending screed head 101 having a convexly arced dozerfront face 141, a screed back 108, and a longitudinal bottom trailingsurface 105. The convexly arced dozer front face 141 acutely connects toand terminates downwardly at the longitudinal bottom trailing surface105 at an arc/bottom contact point 117 and oppositely and acutelyupwardly connects to the screed back 108 at an arc/back contact point111. The longitudinal bottom trailing surface 105 oppositely and acutelyconnects to the screed back 108 at a back/bottom contact point 107. Inthis configuration thereby, the convexly arced dozer front face 141, thescreed back 108, and the longitudinal bottom trailing surface 105 form agenerally triangular cross sectional shape 116 to the longitudinallyextending screed head 101; and the convexly arced dozer front face 141arcs downward to the arc/bottom contact point 117. In this alternativeembodiment, the rake grip handle 131 (in FIG. 12) securely attaches tothe longitudinally extending screed head 101 midway vertically down andcentrally on the screed back 108 between the back/bottom point 107 andthe arc/back contact point 111. The user 130 grasps the hand held screedraking device 100 by the rake grip handle 131 to hand doze applicationmaterial 128 which gathers and loads along the arced dozer front face102, and the hand held screed raking device 100 simultaneously andhomogeneously applying, screeding, and compacting the applicationmaterial 128 onto a surface 129 in a non-segregating manner and in anapplying direction 127 as traversed by the user 130. In this manner, thehand held screed raking device 100 discourages or minimizes theapplication material 128 from being applied to the surface 129 in asegregated manner as to particle size or other component, which wouldaffect the integrity of the application material 128. The rake griphandle 131 shown in FIG. 12 is a closed grip handle. FIG. 13 in analternative embodiment shows the hand held screed raking device 100 withthe rake grip handle 131 may be an opened grip rake handle 132.

In the alternative embodiments of the present invention shown in FIGS.12 and 13, the longitudinal bottom trailing surface 105 (in the samemanner as depicted in FIGS. 8, 9 A-D and 15 A-D for other embodiments)may have a smooth bottom surface 125 or a textured bottom surface 126.The textured bottom surface 126 may be any one of a wave form bottomsurface 124, a v-shaped bottom surface 126 c, a block shaped bottomsurface 126 b, or other form of textured bottom surface 126. As well,the textured bottom surface 126 is one of a repetitive form 126 d or avariable form 126 e as shown in FIGS. 15A and B, and discussed above foranother embodiment. The textured bottom surface 126 may be oriented tothe applying direction as one of: parallel, perpendicular, or at anacute angle. FIG. 15D depicts the underside shoe 103 having a texturedbottom surface 126, as a repetitive form 124 d, the textured bottomsurface oriented longitudinally lengthwise, parallel with thelongitudinally extending screed head 101, and perpendicular to theapplying direction 127. The textured bottom surface 126 in alternativeembodiments flattens and dampens in amplitude from the arc/bottomcontact point 117 to the back/bottom contact point 107.

The longitudinally extending screed head 101, shown in FIGS. 12 and 13,may be comprised in alternative embodiments of at least one of aluminum,plastic, or other durable and lightweight material. The rake grip handle131, in alternative embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, may bemade of light and rigid material with low thermal conductivity to helpthe user 130 work with different types and temperatures of applicationmaterial 128, helping to keep the user's 130 hands from getting eitherhot or cold.

The application material 128 depicted in FIGS. 13 and 14 in alternativeembodiments may be selected from a group consisting of glue laminates,asphalt, cement, tile and floor grout, mortar, landscaping topsoil,gravel, aggregate, mulch, dirt, or other surface treatment material 133as applied to the surface 129 by the user 130. The rake grip handle 131be comprised in alternative embodiments of a non-conductive,lightweight, and resilient material.

As shown in the alternative embodiments in FIGS. 1, 2, and 11-14, thehand held screed raking device 100 of the present invention is a handheld tool for spreading, screeding, moving or applying applicationmaterial 128, as described above, including viscous material such asasphalt, concrete, grout, glue, or landscape materials such as dirt. Thehand held screed raking device 100 will utilize either the smooth bottomsurface 125, the group of textured bottom surface 126 forms as describedherein or other textured bottom surface forms, such as patented screedtextured surfaces known in the industry, to help discourage applicationmaterial 128 segregation when the user 130 moves and applies theapplication material 128 to the surface 129. The longitudinal bottomtrailing surface 105, the working underside surface, therefore, may bethe smooth bottom surface 125 or, in an alternative embodiments, thetextured bottom surface 126, such as one with a repetitive form 124 d(shown in FIGS. 3 and 8, and 15A), identified by a cross-sectional shaperesembling a repeating pattern of cresting waves, the amplitude orheight of which gradually decrease in size from the upwardly angledleading surface 104 to the shoe back end 104 b, as shown in FIGS. 15Aand 15C.

The longitudinal bottom trailing surface comprising one of a smoothbottom surface or a textured bottom surface, as shown in alternativeembodiments in FIGS. 1-15. The present invention, the hand held screedraking device 100, is operated similar to any hand held rake or trowelwith the added control in the present invention of pitching the screedsurface angle of attack, defined by the upwardly angled leading surface104, to control application material 128 grade during use in theapplying direction 127. The arced dozer front face 102 may have theconcavely arced dozer face 140 (as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2) or theconvexly arced dozer 141 in alternative embodiments. The arced dozerfront face 102 more evenly distributes the application material 128being laid or spread out by the user 130 in the applying direction 127while leaving a better, less segregated application material 128 on thesurface 129, by allowing the “floating screed”, the application material128, to be controlled by pitching the angle of attack of thelongitudinal bottom trailing surface 105. The arced dozer front face 102of the longitudinally extending screed head 101 keeps the loaded arceddozer front face 102 from lifting the hand held screed raking device 100while it is moving and applying, or screeding, the application material128 on the surface 129. By adjusting the vertical angle of attack, theuser 130 can make smooth grade adjustments while spreading, in theapplying direction 127, the application material 128 being raked orapplied. As the application material 128 travels in the applyingdirection 127 under the longitudinal bottom trailing surface 105, it iscompacted. These functions and actions of the hand held screed rakingdevice 100 leave a better finish on the surface 129 for the applicationmaterial 128 without the segregation of portions of the applicationmaterial 128 caused by a traditional straight edged rake found in theindustry.

The problem of segregation is solved by the present invention, as shownin FIGS. 11 and 13, by allowing the entire gradation of applicationmaterial 128 to flow, or move and apply easier under the surface of thehand held screed raking device 100 (the longitudinally attached bottomtrailing surface 101) by having a screed bottom (again, thelongitudinally attached bottom trailing surface 101) with either thesmooth bottom surface 125 or the textured bottom surface 126, having arepetitive form 124 d or a variable form 124 e, employed with thetextured bottom surface 126. See FIGS. 15A-D. By using a unique variablewave design, such as a wave form bottom surface 124 having a variableform 126 e, the application material 128, such as aggregate, may beevenly spread and compacted on the surface 129 in a homogenous fashion.The problem of patching an area of the surface 129 with desirousapplication material 128 but ultimately segregating it into variousportions of non-desirous application material 128 having uneven gradesand composition is solved, by applying the application material 128 inthe applying direction 127 ahead of the hand held screed raking device100 which greatly reduces the grade of the arced dozier front face 102,allowing for greater compaction of application material 128 anddiscouraging the segregation of application material 128, for example,into large and smaller aggregates fines.

The variable wave form 124 e, shown in FIG. 15C in an alternativeembodiment of the present invention, allows application material 128 oflarger aggregates to travel or move easier under the longitudinallyattached bottom trailing surface 105, further discouraging segregationby compacting the larger aggregate being laid into the surface 129,rather than, as occurs in traditional rakes used in the industry, suchapplication material 128 moving or traveling in front of the hand heldscreed raking device 100 while the finer application material 128 islaid and thereby segregating the application material 128.

In alternative embodiments of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1-15,the longitudinally extending screed head 101 may be comprised of one ormore of the following: aluminum, plastic, or other durable andlightweight material preventing hotter application material 128 fromsticking to the hand held screed raking device 100 as easily as withcommonly known screed raking devices, and preventing wetter applicationmaterial 128 from freezing and sticking.

Another advantage found in alternative embodiments of the presentinvention, shown in FIGS. 1, 2, and 11-13, is that the hand held screedraking device 100 may be made of low thermal conductive materials thatby not sticking as easily to the application material 128, applicationmaterial 128 such as asphalt, the quality of the screed finish on thesurface 129 will increase.

There is, as well, the advantage of an ease of use allowing differenthandle pitch options for taller users 130 with the hand held screedraking device 100. Use of the hand held screed raking device 100 is notlimited to or specific to any one industry. The hand held screed rakingdevice 100 may be used in the paving industry, concrete industry,construction industry, landscaping industry, as well as other industrieswhere the use of such hand held equipment for applying applicationmaterial 128 is required, allowing a user 130 to more easily obtain anacceptable grade of application material 128 without the segregationproblems that are inherent to current rakes found in differentindustries. The present invention is useful in spreading a multitude ofapplication materials 128, including, but not limited to, aggregates andaggregate mixtures, soils, landscaping materials; and in a number ofapplications, such as for distributing glue or grout, patching asphalt,for preparing subgrade surfaces, and for tiling or finishing surfaces,and other surface application activities.

Having thus described in detail a preferred selection of embodiments ofthe present invention, it is to be appreciated, and will be apparent tothose skilled in the art, that many physical changes could be made inthe device without altering the invention, or the concepts andprinciples embodied therein. Unless otherwise specifically stated, theterms and expressions have been used herein as terms of description andnot terms of limitation, and are not intended to exclude any equivalentsof features shown and described or portions thereof. Various changescan, of course, be made to the preferred embodiment without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the present invention. The presentinvention apparatus, therefore, should not be restricted, except in thefollowing claims and their equivalents.

Although specific advantages have been enumerated above, variousembodiments may include some, none, or all of the enumerated advantages.

Other technical advantages may become readily apparent to one ofordinary skill in the art after review of the foregoing figures anddescription.

It should be understood at the outset that, although exemplaryembodiments are illustrated in the figures and described herein, theprinciples of the present disclosure may be implemented using any numberof techniques, whether currently known or not. The present disclosureshould in no way be limited to the exemplary implementations andtechniques illustrated in the drawings and described herein.

Unless otherwise specifically noted, articles depicted in the drawingsare not necessarily drawn to scale.

Modifications, additions, or omissions may be made to the systems,devices, apparatuses, and methods described herein without departingfrom the scope of the disclosure. For example, the components of thesystems, devices, and apparatuses may be integrated or separated.Moreover, the operations of the systems, devices and apparatusesdisclosed herein may be performed by more, fewer, or other components,and the methods described may include more, fewer, or other steps.Additionally, steps may be performed in any suitable order. As used inthis document, “each” refers to each member of a set or each member of asubset of a set.

To aid the Patent Office and any readers of any patent issued on thisapplication in interpreting the claims appended hereto, applicants wishto note that they do not intend any of the appended claims or claimelements to invoke 35 U.S.C. 112(f) unless the words “means for” or“step for” are explicitly used in the particular claim.

This patent will not limit us to just the said verbiage but have theflexibility to be able to utilize this concept for many applications andmany industries.

We claim:
 1. A hand-held screed rake comprising: a screed head having anarced dozer front face, a back plate and a bottom plate that isconnected to the arced dozer front face and the back plate at an angle;and an underside shoe removably attachable to the screed head and havinga leading surface that is angled upwardly towards the bottom plate and abottom surface that trails away from the leading surface to a back endof the underside shoe, wherein the underside shoe abuts against thearced dozer front face and is conformably secured to the bottom platewhen the underside shoe is attached to the screed head.
 2. The hand-heldscreed rake of claim 1, wherein the arced dozer front face comprises oneof a concavely arced face and a convexly arced face extending away fromthe bottom surface.
 3. The hand-held screed rake of claim 2, wherein thearced dozer front face is structurally configured to prevent the screedhead from lifting upward as the hand-held screed rake is operated by auser to apply and compact a paving material onto a surface in anon-segregating manner.
 4. The hand-held screed rake of claim 1, whereinthe arced dozer front face is structurally configured to gather a pavingmaterial and the underside shoe is configured to spread the pavingmaterial.
 5. The hand-held screed rake of claim 1, wherein the bottomsurface of the underside shoe comprises a smooth surface.
 6. Thehand-held screed rake of claim 1, wherein the bottom surface of theunderside shoe comprises a textured surface.
 7. The hand-held screedrake of claim 6, wherein the textured surface comprises one or more of av-shaped cross-sectional pattern, a block-shaped cross-sectionalpattern, and a waveform cross-sectional pattern.
 8. The hand-held screedrake of claim 7, wherein the respective cross-sectional pattern of thetextured surface has at least one of an amplitude or height thatdecreases in size as the bottom surface trails away from the leadingsurface to the back end of the underside shoe.
 9. The hand-held screedrake of claim 1, wherein the underside shoe is removably attached to thescreed head by one or more of a bolt, a clip, and a cotter pin.
 10. Thehand-held screed rake of claim 1, wherein a thickness of the undersideshoe in a direction orthogonal to the bottom plate decreases from theleading surface to the back end of the underside shoe.
 11. The hand-heldscreed rake of claim 1, wherein the back plate, the arced dozer frontface and the bottom plate are connected to each other to form atriangular cross-sectional shape for the screed head.
 12. The hand-heldscreed rake of claim 1, further comprising a handle connected to theback plate.
 13. The hand-held screed rake of claim 1, wherein the screedhead further comprises an interior flange support that is centrallydisposed within a hollow interior of the screed head and is attachedfrom a midway point of the back plate to contact point of the arceddozer front face and the bottom plate.
 14. A hand-held screed rake headcomprising: an arced dozer front face; a back plate; and a bottom platethat is connected to the arced dozer front face and the back plate at anangle, wherein the convexly arced dozer front face is angled downwardlyrelative to the back plate to taper away therefrom, and wherein thebottom plate extends away from the convexly arced dozer front face at anangle relative to the back plate.
 15. The hand-held screed rake head ofclaim 14, wherein the bottom plate is structurally configured to receivean underside shoe that is removably attachable thereto, with theunderside show having a leading surface that is angled upwardly towardsthe bottom plate and a bottom surface that trails away from the leadingsurface to a back end of the underside shoe.
 16. The hand-held screedrake head of claim 15, wherein the underside shoe is configured to abutagainst the arced dozer front face and is conformably secured to thebottom plate when the underside shoe is attached to the screed head. 17.The hand-held screed rake head of claim 14, wherein the arced dozerfront face comprises one of a concavely arced face and a convexly arcedface extending away from the bottom surface.
 18. The hand-held screedrake head of claim 17, wherein the arced dozer front face isstructurally configured to prevent the screed head from lifting upwardas the hand-held screed rake is operated by a user to apply and compacta paving material onto a surface in a non-segregating manner.
 19. Thehand-held screed rake head of claim 15, wherein the arced dozer frontface is structurally configured to gather a paving material and theunderside shoe is configured to spread the paving material.
 20. Thehand-held screed rake head of claim 15, wherein the bottom surface ofthe underside shoe comprises a textured surface.
 21. The hand-heldscreed rake head of claim 20, wherein the textured surface comprises oneor more of a v-shaped cross-sectional pattern, a block-shapedcross-sectional pattern, and a waveform cross-sectional pattern.
 22. Thehand-held screed rake head of claim 21, wherein the respectivecross-sectional pattern of the textured surface has at least one of anamplitude or height that decreases in size as the bottom surface trailsaway from the leading surface to the back end of the underside shoe. 23.The hand-held screed rake head of claim 15, wherein the underside shoeis removably attached to the screed head by one or more of a bolt, aclip, and a cotter pin.
 24. The hand-held screed rake head of claim 15,wherein a thickness of the underside shoe in a direction orthogonal tothe bottom plate decreases from the leading surface to the back end ofthe underside shoe.
 25. The hand-held screed rake head of claim 14,wherein the back plate, the arced dozer front face and the bottom plateare connected to each other to form a triangular cross-sectional shapefor the screed head.
 26. The hand-held screed rake head of claim 14,further comprising an interior flange support that is centrally disposedwithin a hollow interior and is attached from a midway point of the backplate to contact point of the arced dozer front face and the bottomplate.
 27. A screed rake comprising: a screed head having a dozer facefor preventing the screed head from lifting away from a paving surfaceas the screed rake applies a paving material thereto, a surface facingplate that faces the paving surface as the screed rake applies thepaving material thereto, and a screed back connected to the dozer faceand the surface facing plate, such that the screed head has a generallytriangular cross-sectional shape; and a shoe removably attachable to thesurface facing plate of the screed head and having a textured surfaceopposite the surface facing plate of the screed head, wherein thetextured surface has a cross-sectional pattern having at least one of anamplitude or height that decreases in size as the textured surfacetrails away from the dozer face.
 28. The hand-held screed rake of claim27, wherein the textured surface comprises one or more of a v-shapedcross-sectional pattern, a block-shaped cross-sectional pattern, and awaveform cross-sectional pattern.
 29. The hand-held screed rake of claim27, wherein the shoe abuts against the dozer face and is conformablysecured to the surface facing plate when the shoe is attached to thescreed head.
 30. The hand-held screed rake of claim 27, wherein thedozer front face comprises one of a concavely arced face and a convexlyarced face in a direction extending away from the paving surface. 31.The hand-held screed rake of claim 27, wherein the dozer face isstructurally configured to gather the paving material and the shoe isconfigured to spread the paving material.
 32. The hand-held screed rakeof claim 27, wherein the shoe is removably attached to the screed headby one or more of a bolt, a clip, and a cotter pin.
 33. The hand-heldscreed rake of claim 27, wherein a thickness of the underside shoe in adirection orthogonal to the surface facing plate decreases from theleading surface to the back end of the underside shoe.
 34. The hand-heldscreed rake of claim 27, further comprising a handle coupled to thescreed back.
 35. The hand-held screed rake of claim 27, wherein thescreed head further comprises an flange support that is centrallydisposed within a hollow interior of the screed head and is attachedfrom a midway point of the screed back to contact point of the arceddozer face and the surface facing plate.
 36. A screed rake comprising: ascreed head having a dozer face for preventing the screed head fromlifting away from a paving surface as the screed rake applies a pavingmaterial thereto, a surface facing plate that faces the paving surfaceas the screed rake applies the paving material thereto, and a screedback connected to the dozer face and the surface facing plate at anangle; and a shoe removably attachable to the screed head and having afirst surface that is angled towards the surface facing plate and asecond surface that trails away from the first surface to a back of theshoe, wherein the shoe abuts against the arced dozer face and isconformably secured to the surface facing plate when the shoe isattached to the screed head.
 37. The hand-held screed rake of claim 36,wherein the second surface of the shoe comprises a textured surface hasa cross-sectional pattern having at least one of an amplitude or heightthat decreases in size as the textured surface trails away from thedozer face.
 38. The hand-held screed rake of claim 37, wherein thetextured surface comprises one or more of a v-shaped cross-sectionalpattern, a block-shaped cross-sectional pattern, and a waveformcross-sectional pattern.
 39. The hand-held screed rake of claim 36,wherein the dozer front face comprises one of a concavely arced face anda convexly arced face in a direction extending away from the pavingsurface.
 40. The hand-held screed rake of claim 36, wherein the dozerface is structurally configured to gather the paving material and theshoe is configured to spread the paving material.
 41. The hand-heldscreed rake of claim 36, wherein the shoe is removably attached to thescreed head by one or more of a bolt, a clip, and a cotter pin.
 42. Thehand-held screed rake of claim 36, wherein a thickness of the undersideshoe in a direction orthogonal to the surface facing plate decreasesfrom the leading surface to the back end of the underside shoe.
 43. Thehand-held screed rake of claim 36, further comprising a handle coupledto the screed back.
 44. The hand-held screed rake of claim 36, whereinthe screed head further comprises an flange support that is centrallydisposed within a hollow interior of the screed head and is attachedfrom a midway point of the screed back to contact point of the arceddozer face and the surface facing plate.
 45. The hand-held screed rakeof claim 36, wherein the second surface of the shoe comprises a smoothsurface.
 46. The hand-held screed rake of claim 36, wherein the screedback is connected to the dozer face and the surface facing plate to forma triangular cross-sectional shape for the screed head.